Should Birds be Kept as Pets?

The following article, written by Monica Engebretson, author and senior program associate at Born Free USA, appeared on Opposing Views (http://www.opposingviews.com/) earlier this month and provoked a fire-storm of comments. Should we be re-posting it here? The article is well-written and discusses some very important issues concerning avian welfare; Monica is a well-informed, committed conservationist who has been a good friend of 10,000 Birds throughout 2009; and though we know that there may well be a similar fire-storm once it gets out that we’ve posted this, we’ve never backed away from an argument just because some people out there have very LOUD VOICES.

As always we welcome comment, folks, but personal, inappropriate, or anonymous comments or comments submitted without verifiable email addresses will be deleted.

Should Birds be Kept as Pets?

What if you went over to your neighbor’s house and noticed that they had a cat sitting in a cage in their living room?

You’d probably ask if the cat was sick or recovering from an injury.

What if they told you that they keep her in there most of the time because the house stays cleaner that way?

Now imagine that they open the cage door and bring the cat out, but before setting her down they wrap some yarn around her front legs tying them together in a hobble.

This, they say, keeps her from running outside where she might get hurt, plus it keeps her from jumping up on the counter.

If you’re like most humane-minded people you’d be appalled and would consider this treatment cruel. Your state’s anti-cruelty laws would likely agree.

So why don’t people question the practice of keeping birds as pets?

A parrot is just as active and inquisitive as a cat. In fact, parrots have greater cognitive abilities than cats — parrots have been compared to human toddlers in terms of their intelligence and emotional needs.

Anyone who has ever had, or taken care of, a bird can attest that it is extremely difficult to care for a bird without using a cage or controlling their flight.

However, whether or not cages or flight control are necessary for caring for captive birds may be irrelevant to the question of whether the birds make suitable pets. Perhaps a more relevant question is whether or not it is acceptable to keep a particular animal as a companion if ensuring his or her safety or compatibility in the home requires that he or she be constantly caged and/or physically disabled.

Birds are routinely denied two of their most fundamental natural behaviors — flying and socialization. Denial of these activities can cause physical and behavioral abnormalities including incessant screaming, pacing, head-bobbing, feather-plucking, and self-mutilation. Captive birds may also exhibit extremely low behavior, appearing to be catatonic. This is not the sign of a well-adjusted bird, it’s a sign of a bird who has given up.

Denial of natural behavior isn’t the only factor that calls to question the suitability of birds as companion animals. The vast majority of birds kept as pets are also fed inadequate seed-only diets and most are never taken to a veterinarian — only 11.7% of bird-owning households currently seek veterinary advice for their birds. It has been estimated that malnutrition is responsible for up to 90% of all clinical conditions seen by avian practitioners.

While changes in the captive environment (cage size, enrichment, socialization) can improve the welfare of captive parrots, such changes require that the owner has sufficient knowledge, resources, and motivation to fulfill these requisites, and that the motivation to provide such complex care regimes is sustained throughout the life of the parrot — which may be 20 to 50 years or more depending on species. Indeed, many parrots outlive their caretakers and even more outlive their caretakers’ interest in them.

In addition, evidence suggests that as long as the private ownership of parrots remains socially acceptable and commercial profits persist, the smuggling of parrots for the pet trade will likely continue despite trade restrictions and availability of captive-bred birds. In fact, because captive-bred birds are physically identical to their wild-caught counterparts, the presence of captive-bred birds in the trade actually helps facilitate the wild trade by providing cover for smuggled birds.

When one considers the considerable restrictions captive birds endure, the inadequate diets most are fed, and impact the trade in birds as pets has had on species in the wild, it is easy to conclude that, like other non-domesticated animals, birds are not suitable companion animals.

Each year millions of exotic animals are captured from the wild or produced in captivity for commercial profit or human amusement, only to languish in conditions that fail to meet the instinctive, behavioral, and physical needs of these wild animals. Born Free USA aims to reduce animal suffering by raising public awareness of the cruel and destructive exotic animal trade, by increasing legal protections for captive exotic animals, and by supporting efforts aimed at preserving wildlife’s rightful place in the wild. Learn more at www.bornfreeusa.org

Born Free USA united with API is an NGO participant at the Meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates commercial international trade of threatened and endangered species.

We welcome guest writers and invite you to share your insight and excitement about issues pertaining to wild birds and birding. If you’ve got something to share about conservation, birds, or birding, feel free to contact us about writing a post.

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I think the issues raised by Monica are some good ones, though equating parrots to cats is more than a bit like comparing apples to oranges. Dogs, for example, are often “caged” (crated) and that’s considered a good management tool. I don’t think a cage for a bird is routinely a bad thing. I think how long birds are kept in cages is.

That said, I do think it’s cruel to keep birds from flying–and I don’t just mean for 5 minutes here or there. And most bird species prefer the company of their own, as do we, after all.

I don’t think it’s impossible to properly care for a bird as a pet but I do agree that most aren’t living in mentally healthful ways. They are too often kept from flying and too often living without the company of their own kind.

Interesting topic as it applies to me personally. I started becoming a birder about five years ago. Because of my family’s allergies to cats and dogs, and my love of birds, it felt natural for my family to get me parakeets for Christmas last year. We really enjoy the four of them and we do all we can to follow the advice of Lisa Shea in our care for them. The birds seem well adjusted, healthy, social with each other and with my family. I had been keeping the wings trimmed because I let them out of their cages everyday, and it was for their own safety. Recently I’ve let them grow out and I enjoy seeing them fly. Yet, I still feel a little bit conflicted. I cannot replicate their native habitat in Australia and releasing them into the wild’s of Idaho would be inappropriate for 10,000 reasons, including almost certain death. I don’t know that I can completely resolve my internal conflict on this issue. On principle, I do not support keeping birds as pets, especially the endangered species. Recognizing my own hypocrisy, I will simply carry on and do my best to provide a good life for Mel, Bindi, Nicole, and Russell.

I agree with Monica. Already domesticated animals are one thing (we can’t change the past), but I think we should be hands off with everything else. If we really love the creatures as they are, we should leave them as they are–in the wild.

You are not alone in your conflict. Many question the keeping of birds after they acquire them. I too had birds at one time (I kept them all and provided the best possible care I could until they passed away)

At the end of the article as it appeared on Opposing Views, I included the following disclaimer to address your situation.

“Disclaimer: As expressed in this article birds are non-domesticated animals that belong in the wild where they can fly freely and express their natural behaviors. However, due to the large number of birds living in captivity which cannot be returned to the wild and the limited space available in avian sanctuaries, optimizing care of birds held in private hands can go far in reducing suffering and improving the welfare of captive birds. Tips for optimizing care can be found at http://www.nationalbirdday.org.”

If one truly loves birds, one must truly understand that it is only in the wild that all birds can live the life they deserve. To capture them as if they were flowers in a vase is the lowest form of adoration. Do NOT buy a bird if you love them, go out and watch them flying. In Wildness is the Preservation of the Earth! (Henry David Thoreau)

I choose not to keep caged birds because I would rather help financially, those birds that are endangered. I support captive breeding of birds, such as we have been reading about the Madagascan Pochards. When a bird is almost extinct, all measures must be considered. eg. When captive breeding is done in conjunction with habitat conservation. It is good to air such an article. I believe the way we treat animals, birds etc will be one of the biggest ‘rights’ issues this century. The right for all living things to exist!

I had a feeling that disallowing anonymous comments would silence the usual “it’s our right to own birds” group: it’s a shame though that they don’t feel able to join the discussion without giving their real names…Thanks everyone else though!

Monica: Apologies about omitting the disclaimer – I thought that had come from Opposing Views and not yourself. Thanks for the correction.

Marc: Perfectly put as always IMHO!

Brenton: I have to state my admiration for the support you give to conservation campaigns. You were the first to put money into our Spoon-billed Sandpiper ‘pot’, have been very supportive of our Sharpe’s Longclaw work (and everything else we’ve done actually), and I know you do far more as well. I wish there were far more people around who thought the way that you do.

Everyone thinks that he knows what is best for the birds. The biologist, the conservationist, the wildlife rehabilitator, the falconer, the bird watcher, etc. . . do not all agree, while they all may know quite a lot about birds. We have a hard time understanding behavior of members of our species, after all!

The only avian species with which we have had any opportunity to collect sufficient data on behavior is the chicken. Unfortunately, of chickens, we are in general not so concerned about behavior and quality of life(although there is a subculture who do keep chickens as pets –maybe they should start publishing their observations).

By the way, if the author is going to throw out statistics, she should state from which studies/surveys they come. Likewise, if she is going to make a lot of claims based on her impressions, than she should be clear that they are just her impressions. And we have covered misconceptions about pet trade (at least as they pertain to the States). There is a lot of over-generalization too. Parrots are not all birds. Should mammals be allowed on the furniture?

No-one here will hate you for disagreeing, Sara, that’s a promise! 10,000 Birds doesn’t – and never will – work like that.

Monica may well answer you later (I have no idea) but she is actually a long-standing expert in the field of avian welfare, and works with welfare experts from all around the world. These aren’t ‘impressions’ I assure you. Perhaps I should have provided a list of references etc but I didn’t ask Monica for one, so that’s down to me.

However I would like to argue with one of your comments: you say that “We have a hard time understanding behavior of members of our species, after all!” and that’s true in general but we have masses and masses of information from innumerable studies showing exactly what happens to people when they are put in solitary isolation in small cages – ask anyone working on penal reform and they’ll tell you that’s it’s not nice at all…

Charlie, thanks for your reply. I do not think that the comparison of the cage to the psychiatric/correctional total institutions is appropriate in all cases, but it does depend on how the owner regards his bird (or let us just take psittacines, for this case). I find that parrots seem to treat their cages as their personal bedroom rather. It is where they want to go when they are upset or to take a nap or when they retire for the evening.

On the other hand, I agree that locking up a lone parrot in the cage at all times is not appropriate. My mother’s cockatiel does not have any cage. He has a perch station with toys and such, and he has expanded his territory to include the area above the cabinets too. And that is his “safe place” where he is in charge. Honestly, I suspect that his interesting behavior can be credited in part to the fact that he flies freely around the flat. There is a sub-culture of parrot-keepers who support the “free flight” method. No cages, no clipping . . . of course, there can be accidents this way too.

Nevertheless, anyone who has handled birds for a while either in aviculture or in rehabilitation of wild birds learns quickly that to generalize a class, an order, or even a species in some cases, is to over-generalize, especially when it comes to behavioral traits.

Thank you for the link. The article is fragmented, and I do not think that it is worthwhile to address all of my criticisms, but here is a laundry list for starters:
1. The lexicon of pathologies seems to be a synopsis of some of what we have learned as a result of keeping and treating birds, and you even agree. We have learned a good lot about avian nutrition and medicine as a result of aviculture. And avian science programs are sprouting up in American universities, finally!
2. The abolition approach to captive birds will not end illegal trade; regulation of the wild bird trade will have to be a global effort, and that’s it.
3. And birds are not like plants. A distressed Angiosperm will flower to chance procreation before death. An unhealthy and unhappy exotic bird, may copulate, but will not manage to procreate, at least not without extreme difficulty and while requiring some intensive assistance. So again, comparing an aviary or bird-cage to a breeding kennel, is not really appropriate.

But I was suspicious particularly about that 90% malnutrition figure. In your article, you reference a manuscript by Dr. G.J. Harrison who also, it seems, failed to qualify the statement “[a]ccording to experienced avian practitioners, malnutrition still underlies up to 90% of all clinical cases . . .” [.doc]. He later writes “[m]any veterinarians with private bird clients and large collections of birds with malnutritional diseases often fail to realize the progress made by manufactured diets in recent years.”

This is the same Dr. G.J. Harrison, co-author of Clinical Avian Medicine circulated by HBD publications distributed by and somehow affiliated with Harrisons Bird Products. It is a 2-volume text in which, I would say, authors walk a fine line between presentation of avian veterinary science and manufactured dietary product promotion. Dr. G.J. Harrison obviously has a marketing agenda, so I remain suspicious.

At least his agenda might benefit the birds in captivity. If any policy or legislation precipitated from your agenda, we will have to see what it will do for avian medicine and science and what the bureaucracy does for our captive birds and as well as the people who adore them.

@ Charlie- Do you actually think that requiring the use of my real name is going to scare me away from participating in this discussion? Hardly.

@ Monica- To take anything you have to say about proper care of birds is foolish. We might as well be listening to you ramble on about life on Mars because your knowledge of both subjects is equal. That isn’t a personal attack, that is just fact. Myself and others who are considered experienced in the realm of proper bird keeping, aviculture and the pet industry have had a field day defeating you and your friends at every turn. We have made you and your cronies look like incompetents in every legislative meeting and hearing. Your lack of any real practical knowledge of birds has been a great source of humor for all of us. I must tip my hat to you though. You have managed to parlay this lack of knowledge and usefulness into a full time job paid for by the ignorant of which you prey on. Congratulations! Perhaps you can one day explain to us how you manage to sleep at night.

@John Del Rio: Seeing as you are a climate change denialist and a fan of Glen Beck (thank you google and facebook) I really see no reason to take anything you say as remotely approaching fact. Have a nice day!

I’ve had dogs, a cat (discarded kitten found in a dumpster) and 2 Cockatiels (both captive breed, the 1st was a gift and the 2nd was bought as a companion for the 1st). I agree with many of the comments as my opinion is that the majority of people make lousy owners of most animals.

Cats are barely domesticated and they should NEVER be allowed outside but I know many people who equate that with keeping them in a ‘cage’. The fact is that there are more than 90 million pet cats in the U.S., the majority of which roam outside at least part of the time. In addition, millions of stray and feral cats roam our cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Scientists estimate that free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians each year. Cat predation is an added stress to wildlife populations already struggling to survive habitat loss, pollution, pesticides, and other human impacts. Free-roaming cats are also exposed to injury, disease, parasites, getting hit by cars, or becoming lost, stolen, or poisoned. Millions of domestic cats are euthanized each year because there are not enough homes for them. All feral cats need to be either re-homed (indoor only) or euthanized and all domestic cats need to be kept indoors at least during breeding season.

I was quite young when I got the cat and he died at 10 in part because I allowed him outside where he was frequently injured & also picked up diseases. My brother has 2 wild, untrained Rottweiler dogs that should be euthanized–but then my brother is a complete mess and I can’t very well suggest that he be euthanized(!). I cared for the birds as best I could–they had free flight, I cooked for them everyday and they saw their vet more than I saw a doc. Still, I failed them due to my own living situation changing. I no longer have pets but I bird as often as possible and that’s pretty good.

First off we should not think all parrot species are the same. Cokatiles for example are not the same as cockatoos. I think more knowlege is know about parrots then there was in the 1980s. Some parrot species have been made in pets longer then others (parrot species from Africa and Asia have been pets longer then new world parrots). Dolly Madison had a parrot and we know rich people in Victorian England had parrots. If you wanted to get in a detailed discussion if parrots such as Macaws or Cockatoos should be kept as pets then I would have to say that is more debatable on whether they should be kept as pets. I do not think the cat and bird comaprison make sense. I think pet parrots should know how to fly so they will be more confident. That said maybe the author should not equate trimming wings to things such as declawing a cat, cutting of dog tails (some dog breeds have this done to them). Or how about Central Asian shepherds who have their ears and tails cut off. I do not support primates as pets but it is know some primates can have their teeth and nails pulled out. Bird feathers grown back. On a side note I would be curious to know if the author thinks it is cruel to keep a cat indoors or to kennel up a dog or leave a dog in your house when you are at work? That said birds are not for everyone (but neither are ferrets or dogs). I am sorry if this sounds harsh but if you are not willing to even fix, litter train, take care of a cat but decide to let the cat run free outside then you shouldn’t be a pet owner. I owned a hand feed ccokatile and green cheeked conure as a child and they were not stressed out birds. I took them out of their cage everyday, cleaned their cage, and feed and watered them. My cockatile loved sitting on my shoulder and my conure would lay on his back in my hand (he loved to cuddle). However, having seen how some people treat birds I do not think they are not for alot of people. Not only because a person needs to know how to care for them but a person needs to accept noise and scattered food. Not to mention birds like cockatiles and green chheked conures like coming out of their cage and interacting. In honesty my father (who bought me the birds) should not be a bird owner. But he is a no animals in the house person anyways. My regret in life is going to college and leaving them. One reason why I do not have a high view of college. I am petless right now but if I get a house I will be getting a dog and a bird. I share my sister’s view in my pets will stay with me and I would not go anywhere without them. In the end of the day not all bird species are the same. I think it would be depressing for a song bird or hummingbird to be kept in a cage. It depends on flying even more then parrot species do. I would put out seed to feed song birds and humming bird feeder for humming birds instead.

I have loved birds since I was a kid, and wanted a parakeet for so long. My first one was given to me when I was 18, and lived a happy life with me until she was 13 years old. I hand-tamed her and let her fly free often. She bonded with me like another bird. Since then, I have had other birds too, but over time I have come to realize how unfair it is to these lovely creatures to be kept as “pets.” Yes, so many are cared for well, socialized, loved, and do live happy lives, but so many aren’t. People have a basic non-understanding of birds, and I have seen them crowded in small cages, fed poorly, with drinking water placed beneath them so it is fouled by their droppings, etc. I have learned that inbreeding to get pretty colors has resulted in poor health and the tendency for parakeets to get cancer. So now I haven’t had a parakeet live past 5 years. I keep two parakeets right now, but mainly because I figure if they are going to be sold in this country, at least a percentage need to end up in caring homes. I got one from a pet store that had them in glass tank, with cockatiels, and this poor boy had a respiratory illness when I brought him home, probably due to the ‘tiel dust. He has been hard to tame down, and never became hand tame, but when someone wanted to buy a bird at that store, they would chase them around and around the glass tank until they caught the right one for the customer. He is still hand shy. His first week here, he ate all day long, as he obviously was not getting enough at the store. My other bird was given to me. I think she was raised in an aviary. She goes stir crazy pretty much daily, wanting to get out, and it is a pretty large cage I have them in. She just has a heart to be free. I can see it, and I feel awful for her. These two are not hand tame, so I do not allow them out, and if I did, I think she would make for a window. She just wants to be free outside with the birds she sees out there. My birds are not a bonded pair, and mostly tolerate each other, so no worries they will breed. In conclusion, I do love birds, but that is why I would wholeheartedly support a law that prohibits any new breeding or selling of caged birds in this country. Let the ones already here live out their lives, because, well, what else can we do? But I think it is time anyone who really loves birds realizes that they are meant to be free, that our breeding them as pets is hurting them, and our selling them to anyone with the money to buy one (or more) is too often subjecting them to cruelty or neglect. If such a law can’t be passed, then definitely some kind of permit should be required– education, and adequate housing and diet, too. Hope this was not too long.

Janie, the first bird I had was a budgie from WalMart. I was able to tame him. I personaly find it sad there are birds being sold in pet stores because they live in poor conditions. There are enough birds that I feel people can adopt or find a breeder. A seriouse bird breeder would hate the condition mot birds at pet stores are kept in. Also considering forest (many parrot species habitat are being cut down) it may be best there are breeders breeding many different parrot species. I think birds see more colors but captive birds seem to bond with their species that will produce color mutations.

Dear Monica,
I completely disagree with this article. The amount of ignorance by the person who wrote this article was too much to handle. Who are you to say house parrots and birds are deprived. Have you ever owned a parrot, or felt the companionship that comes with them. To parrots you are not their owner, you are their family, their flock. You can say the same thing that dogs are deprived of the wild and hunting. These birds were bred in captivity for YEARS. You cannot just let them go by opening your doors and letting them be “free” the only thing that will lead to is starvation and being eaten by animals. Birds are not deprived of socialization and flying. My parrot is social with all members of my family and friends, and is allowed to fly free through the house at this own will. There are also bird leashes you can use to take your parrot outside for walks. Do not say birds are deprived and that it is a bad thing for them to be in homes. They are family not just little animals we look at for enjoyment. And if you do say that they are not supposed to birds in homes, why are people allowed to have dogs, cats, fishes they are animals too, right? You are a hypocrite, since you wrote this article while in your profile picture you are shown with ur dogs “who are ever so deprived of freedom and socialization” this is the most ignorant article I have ever read and I’m utterly disgusted by it.

Corey, I suggest following your own advice about basic biology; many parrot species are domesticated, not the least being budgies, which have been kept as pets for most of two centuries. No matter how you personally define domestication, budgies will pass some of the strictest of qualifications; did you know that there’s only one colour and size of budgie in the wild, and that direct human influences have resulted in innumerable different budgie breeds? Just because they don’t immediately bend to our desires and needs doesn’t mean they aren’t domesticated; there are dogs every bit as fickle – if not moreso – as a budgie or a conure, but I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t consider dogs the poster children for domestication.. And it’s far harder to teach a dog to copy your words.

Further, while I admire the sentiment that birds should not be kept in cages, it seems that the opponents to domesticated birds are conveniently overlooking the bird homes that do not confine their flock behind bars, and that there’s nothing stopping properly-homed parrots from living happy and full lives – made better yet still by a lack of disease and comfortable environment.. And while I’m sure that it’s impossible to wrap one’s head around, I’ve been witness to very, VERY happy birds that vehemently refused to live outside of a large cage.

Saying birds can only be happy in the wild is like saying humans can only be happy living naked in trees; birds are brilliant, adaptable beings that have just as varying personal desires and personalities as we do, and I feel that generalising to such a degree is nothing short of a misguided insult to their intelligence.

Megan McCarthy

May 05, 2015 11:46:25 pm

Stop being such a mean person. Have you ever thought of the birds point of view, I doubt it.

Dear Monica,
I totally agree with your article. I have to pet birds at home and we let them fly in our sunroom for about 1 hour every day. So maybe if you give them enough freedom maybe you could keep them as pets because they make wonderful pets.

Saying birds can only be happy in the wild is like saying humans can only be happy living naked in trees; birds are brilliant, adaptable beings that have just as varying personal desires and personalities as we do, and I feel that generalizing to such a degree is nothing short of a misguided insult to their intelligence.